“I thought their physicality got to us throughout the game,” said interim coach Mitch Johnson on the loss to the 76ers.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs lost to the Philadelphia 76ers on the road 111-106. The team’s 2-game winning streak is snapped and fall to 0-1 to the 76ers in the regular season series.
Victor Wembanyama led the team with 26 points, nine rebounds, and eight blocks. Stephon Castle had 17 points and three rebounds, and Chris Paul had 12 and eight assists.
Jeremy Sochan added 15 points, Devin Vassell recorded 15, Keldon Johnson had four and two assists, and Julian Champagnie finished with 15 and five rebounds.
Head coach Gregg Popovich was also out due to illness. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson assumed head coaching duties for the game.
The Spurs are 15-14 this season and will visit the New York Knicks on Wednesday morning for a Christmas Day matinee.
Here’s a sample of what the teams said after the game.
Mitch Johnson:
“I thought their (76ers) physicality got to us throughout the game, especially early on. I thought they pushed it off spots, had strong catches, kept us out of sync, and for some of those things we could not really find a rhythm offensively. I thought give them credit it was a big part of what they did to us, not just us missing shots, and then when we did miss shots, we had three offensive rebounds.”
Wembanyama:
“I think they (76ers) handle well their usual lineup, and for us, we should be more aware of things. I need to watch the game again, but I think we weren’t being held to our standards.”
“I would have got that ball when we were up one. It’s a great steal by [Tyrese] Maxey. I had to catch my breath for one second that was a great steal and he made big plays down the stretch.”
Champagnie:
“It’s hard. Obviously, it’s not the result we want but I’m going to keep saying it. I think we’re walking in the right direction day by day. We’re playing hard. We’re showing some reliance. I think it shows we want to win games.”
Tyrese Maxey:
“We just tried to get stops and get some good looks. That was probably what we tried to do the most. Guys played extremely hard, whoever stepped on the court. Even when we lost the lead, guys kept their focus and we played well together and went out there and got a win.”